199 this morning. Ah, a wee bit of encouragement is all I need to make my day. Weigh in tomorrow morning.Then to Trader Joes or the farmers market for more good fruits and veggies. Mia Goddess writes today about nursing a baby and dieting. In some ways I find nursing really helps – it burns calories; it helps me relax and get more in tune with my body; it helps me bond with the boy which is great, mentally.
But in other ways, it makes things more difficult — it makes me uncomfortable sometimes when I feel "full;" it’s a distraction; it makes me really hungry; it takes up time (when I pump at work) which takes away from relaxed eating and planning time; it stresses me out when I can’t pump or am worried about whether I’ll have enough milk for the boy; it makes it harder to exercise, I think, because my breasts are more heavy and sensitive. (Last night I almost got on the treadmill but I couldn’t find my special bra and I am all itchy from a rash which made me less than excited about sweating. Poor excuses, I know.)
Net net, nursing is a really good thing, I think. Mostly because I feel really good about providing for the boy, and knowing that he’s getting the good stuff, which will hopefully help prevent him from dealing with obesity-related issues later in life. Plus, the calorie burning thing is really great. One side of me is eager for a time when I can cut back or drop it altogether, but another side doesn’t want to give it up — I love providing and bonding with my baby in such a special way.
Pamela ~ I htink you captured it perfectly with what you write. It’s this amazing, humbling “thing”; it’s the moment our bodies are perfectly in synch and doing everything they were meant to do. But then there’s this whole other level, where there’s a selfish piece of me saying, “I just want my body back!!! A year it’s been already!!! And now I’m nowhere near getting it back yet??? *Another* year??? Noooooo!!” See, how much angst and drama (which you can detect by the number of exclamation points needed).
Here’s a funny thing about me. I make sure I’ve JUST breastfed before my ww weigh-in, because I don’t want those 5 or 6 ounces on my scale. *sigh* It’s a sickness.